This invention relates generally to brackets used in orthodontic treatment, and more particularly concerns orthodontic brackets having an archwire slot and that rely on ligatures to retain the archwire in the slot.
Orthodontic appliances, such as brackets, buccal tubes and the like are typically applied to teeth by adhering the appliances to the surface of the teeth to orient the teeth by the application of forces on the teeth by such orthodontic appliances. Such appliances typically include an archwire slot portion for receiving an archwire and ligatures, including elastic bands or metal/steel ligatures, to provide corrective forces to straighten and reposition the teeth. The orthodontic appliances typically include a base portion adapted generally to conform to the shape of the teeth to which they are applied, and elastic or wire ligature ties are used to hold the archwire in the archwire slot during initial and intermediate stages of treatment. However, installation and reinstallation of archwires in orthodontic brackets can be time consuming, and ligatures can become stained and may retain plaque and food debris, which can in turn result in tooth decay or infection. Accordingly, ligatures should be replaced regularly throughout the treatment period.
Conventional means of removing and replacing ligatures are time-consuming. The effects of such time consumption are multiplied since it is procedure required on most orthodontic patients multiple times throughout the treatment period.
There are six areas for which orthodontists have diagnostic responsibility. They are: Arch (Tooth Positions, Width, Shapes, and Length), AP (anteriorposterior) Jaw Positions, BL (buccolingual) Jaw Positions, SI (superiorinferior) Jaw Positions, Chin Prominence, and Occlusion. Of those six areas, the area that takes the most treatment time and effort is the correction of the Arch. Arch correction begins on the day the braces are placed and does not end until the day the braces come off. It is a constant battle between patient cooperation, skill of the orthodontist, treatment goals, appliance prescription, archwires, bracket positioning, and appropriate forces. Most orthodontists do not realize it but, how efficiently the arch is corrected is the major determinate of treatment time and office profitability.
It would be desirable to provide an orthodontic bracket system that reduces the time of ligature removal and replacement procedures. It would also be desirable to provide an orthodontic bracket system that facilitates improved rotational control of the tooth on which the bracket is placed with a rotational device. Such features would permit orthodontists to treat more patients per day and to correct patient arch problems more efficiently, thereby increasing the number of patients they are able to help while shortening treatment time and improving office profitability. The present invention meets these and other needs.